Photo-Journalistic vs Traditional Tampa Wedding Photography

Yesterday I was on Indian Rocks Beach shooting a small, intimate sunset wedding ceremony arranged by Florida Gulf Beach Weddings. The couple (Peggy and Brian) wanted their wedding pictures to reflect the fun, casual vibe of their day.

It was a perfect match for my style of "photo-journalistic" Tampa wedding photography. It's all about capturing the details and moments that tell the story of a couple's wedding day in pictures.

Memorable details...



And priceless moments...



After the ceremony, we walked down to the surf. "It's a beautiful Saturday evening, we're on the beach, and you just got married", I told them.

"Just take a walk together and enjoy the moment. Have fun and don't pay any attention to me".

It gave me the opportunity to capture natural images that show their genuine love and appreciation for one another...





While I was shooting them in the surf, I noticed another photographer taking formal pictures of a different couple. Like us, they were down at the edge of the water. But as a formal photographer, he was meticulously posing them to capture the "perfect" sunset kiss.

From the placement of their hands, to the way they were standing, everything was posed.

I have a huge amount of respect for formal wedding photographers. It takes an incredible amount of patience, planning, and talent, and this guy totally knew what he was doing.

But while I'm sure the pictures he shot will be absolutely beautiful, they will inherently lack the natural spontaneity that you see in shots like these:





There's something about the way that Peggy and Brian are walking together, step for step in perfect unison, that makes that first one special. You can't "pose" pictures like that... they just kind of happen.

In any case, that's the difference between my style of casual, photo-journalistic Tampa wedding photography, and the more traditional style of so many other talented photographers in Tampa Bay.

Which style is right for your wedding or engagement portrait shoot? Only you know that... but choose carefully, because there really is a big difference!

Tampa Wedding Photography: The first kiss

Despite the anticipation, planning, rushing, and worrying that are all part of weddings, they are of course really about one thing: A couple's public expression of their love, devotion, and commitment to each other for the rest of their lives.

And nowhere during a ceremony is that more evident than the moment when they hear the words, "I now pronounce you man and wife", look into each other's eyes, and seal it with their first kiss.

Here are some of my favorite "first kiss" moments from weddings I've photographed around Tampa Bay. Like every wedding, each of these moments is special and unique in their own way...

This first one is from Kathy and Larry's wedding on Clearwater Beach. From a photography standpoint, it's one of my all-time favorites, and I use it often in our advertising. Really a dramatic moment...



The next is from a casual, backyard wedding I shot in Port Richey for Martha and Jim. When Martha first contacted me, she told me she was marrying, "the man of my dreams". They were so happy here...



Darlene and Jim were married on the beautiful beachfront deck behind Oystercatcher's restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Yet another very beautiful first kiss...



Sometimes it's the moment right before the kiss that's even better. Check out the excitement in Kristin's face right before Toby leaned in to kiss her. "It was the happiest day of my life", she told me later.



Here's another moment right before Marlese and James' first kiss. I love the look on the officiate's face:-)



For a look at many more first kisses, as well as a variety of other images from recent ceremonies, check out the image galleries on our Tampa wedding photography website anytime.

Tampa Wedding Photography: What makes us different and unique

One of the things I hear over and over again from clients is how my style of Tampa wedding photography is somehow "different" from other photographers. That's the word they always use: "Different".

If they were using that word to describe my personality or looks, I'd have a complex by now:-)

But in all seriousness, I really take that as a compliment. In a competitive market filled with hundreds of Tampa wedding photographers, it's nice to be singled out as being "different" by clients, especially when it's my creative work they're talking about.

A lot of it has to do with the photo-journalistic style of photography I use to shoot weddings. Here are some examples:

There's a bit of a story behind this first one. Kelsey (the bride) and Herald came all the way down to Tampa from Eagan, Minnesota with their family and friends to get married on the beach. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not invited.

After a three-hour rain delay on Indian Rocks Beach, the weather finally cleared and I caught this candid shot of Kelsey making her final preparations. The look on her face says it all... everything was going to be OK, and she looked beautiful.



While Kelsey was inside getting ready, Herald took advantage of the break in the weather to go outside, loosen up, and toss the football around with his groomsmen. This unposed shot really captured the essence of the fun they were having.



This next one is from Kathy and Larry's wedding on Clearwater Beach. Larry brought along his own camera to take a picture of his bride as she approached him for their beach ceremony. I got plenty of shots of her, too... but couldn't resist snapping this one. It was a classic moment:-)



After their ceremony, Kathy and Larry took a walk down the beach together to celebrate their new life together, which gave me an opportunity to capture this moment. I don't think they even realized I was there. Again, the benefit of shooting candid, unposed images.



This is one of my favorites. Kristen (the bride) was in her hotel room making her final preparations. but running a little late. Her daughter was on the phone letting the rest of the wedding party know. Truly, a classic moment.



Minutes later, they arrived at the Clearwater Beach Recreation Center for the ceremony... in a bit of a rush:-)

Of course, I always take time to capture the more traditional images at each wedding I photograph, and you can see plenty of them on the Image Galleries page of our Tampa wedding photography website. But it's pictures like these that are often the most memorable, and "different".